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From: Kent Kaiser <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "'[EMAIL PROTECTED]'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [Mpls] Kiffmeyer has booth at Pride - but doesn't show
Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2005 12:44:22 -0500
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Dear Eva:
It wasn't "weird" that our office was not able to attend Pride this
year. It was a matter of not having the resources (for those who are
unaware: the state budget is tight, and our office has been hit
particularly hard for the past several years). Last year, we had a
windfall of resources because of the federal Help America Vote Act of
2002, which allowed us to attend the many events listed below. (As a
result of that windfall, I had 2 student workers to cover most of these
multiple-day events, plus we had another employee on loan from another
department to cover the one-day/evening-type of events). Last year was a
great opportunity to see what events were worthwhile. Pride was
worthwhile, but not as much so as the State Fair or Taste of Minnesota,
the only two events that our office is attending this year, in terms of
traffic to our booth and voter registrations collected. (This year I have
zero student workers to cover events.) We hope to return to more of the
worthwhile events, like Pride, next year, another major election year, if
we can scrape together the resources. The fact that our office was listed
as supposed to be having a booth at Pride should give you some clue to the
fact that we found it worthwhile and only as the date approached found
ourselves short staffed and therefore having to pull back. As for
Secretary Kiffmeyer's attendance, she never claimed to have attended Pride
herself, and in fact did not attend or claim to attend most of the events
on the list.
And, as I have invited on multiple occasions in the past, if you have
questions about our office's activities, I welcome you contacting me so
you avoid making uninformed comments. Indeed, Eva, I would like to have a
conversation w/you off-line to discuss further.
Thank you,
Kent Kaiser
Communications Director
Office of the MN Secretary of State
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
This is an email I sent to a media outlet that inquired in August, 2004:
Here is a list of recent events at which our office staffed voter
education displays:
Paddle for the Presidency (free booth)
Pride (paid booth)
Taste of MN (free booth, underwritten by Waste Management, Inc.)
Heritagefest in New Ulm (paid)
Farm Fest in Gilfillan (paid)
Game Fair in Ramsey (paid)
Vietnamese New Year Festival (paid)
MLK celebration (paid)
Vietnamese Community in MN event (paid)
Somali Action Alliance event (free)
Founders of Vietnam event (free)
Cinco de Mayo banquet (free)
Somali education night (paid)
Lao Community of MN, Inc. event (paid)
Latino Voter Participation Summit (paid)
First African Women's Conference (paid)
Somali Independence Day (free)
Lao Family Community Midwest Sport Tourney (paid)
Dragon Festival (paid)
In the spring we had displays at several colleges and universities across
the state (free).
There also were several events a staffer attended to distribute materials,
but we didn't specifically put up a display, including events with the
Urban League, Liberians of MN, Hispanic Media and Marketing Network,
United Cambodian Association of MN (at a Buddhist temple), JCRC Yom
Hashoah Commemoration (at a synagogue), American Indian Heritage
Celebration, Festival of Nations, Juneteenth Celebration, and several others.
And, we'll be at the State Fair (paid booth).
In the past, we've done only a few events, but this year we have been able
to do more (paid) because of funds having been made available for voter
education through the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002. HAVA also has
allowed us to afford a couple of student workers to staff these events.
-----------------
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I believe my post on the blog and on Minneapolis Issues was correct.
Secretary Kiffmeyer's Office did purchase a booth at Pride - and then
didn't send people to staff the booth. That's what I posted.
As I recall Kiffmeyer said something about attending Pride to the Strib
when she was under fire last fall. This was a discussion item on the
Minneapolis Issues list last year.
"Where's the Star Tribune when I'm working at Gay Pride and my staff has
to take flak for being there?" - Mary Kiffmeyer, quoted in Mark Brunswick
Strib story.
http://www.mnforum.org/pipermail/mpls/2004-October/035542.html
Kaiser tells me that Mary Kiffmeyer was misquoted here - and she did not
say she was at Pride. Kaiser also says that the SOS cancelled their booth
at Pride in 2005 without paying this year - but it was too late to be
removed from the list. Now I thought that late cancellations had a
substantial penalty. I also didn't think you could reserve space without
paying for it upfront.
Eva Young
Near North
Minneapolis
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://lloydletta.blogspot.com
"You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on
freedom, and that means freedom for everyone - not just you! You may leave
the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc., but the
world is full of idiots, and probably always will be." --Article II of the
Bill of Non-Rights.
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